Sanae Takaichi

is a Japanese politician who has served as the Minister of State for Economic Security since August 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, she has served in the House of Representatives since 2005, and had also served in several ministerial posts under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In 2021, she was a candidate in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, but was ultimately eliminated in a run-off, placing third. Takaichi has been described as having a "political reputation as a staunch conservative". Early life Born and raised in the city of Nara, Takaichi graduated from Unebi Senior High School, Kobe University, and the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management. In 1987, she moved to the United States to work for Democratic U.S. Representative Patricia Schroeder as a Congressional Fellow. When she returned to Japan in 1989, she gained attention from the mass media as a legislative analyst with experience in the US Congress, and wrote books based on the experience. In 1992, she formed the Kansai Hi-Vision Consortium and presided as the first chairperson. Political career Takaichi was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 Japanese general election. She joined the "Liberals" study group of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Koji Kakizawa, which became part of the New Frontier Party.